Cloud Magic Read online

  ‘And there aren’t any windows,’ said Chloe, looking around.

  ‘Who is that?’ asked Tor immediately.

  ‘Chloe. She’s my friend. Another stardust spirit.’ Erin rattled the bolt. ‘Oh, Tor. I can’t get you out.’ Tears of frustration sprang to her eyes. Her fingers curled on the rough wood. If only she could get to him.

  ‘Can you find the keys?’ he said.

  ‘But where will they be? Who’s got them? Who’s captured you? Who’s –’

  ‘Erin!’ Tor interrupted. ‘Quick! You and Chloe must go! The dark one is coming. I can sense it!’

  ‘But who is the dark one?’ Chloe demanded.

  ‘There’s no time! Go!’ Tor’s voice was full of alarm.

  Chloe grabbed Erin’s arm. ‘Come on,’ she said quickly.

  Erin didn’t want to leave the stallion, but Chloe tugged her upwards. ‘Erin, we have to go!’

  ‘Camouflagus!’ Erin whispered urgently. Chloe echoed it.

  They were only just in time. As they flew upwards, a dark, shadowy figure wearing a hooded cloak came striding through the trees.

  C H A P T E R

  Seven

  The two girls flew as fast as they could back to the cliff top. ‘That was so scary!’ Chloe said as they landed and let their camouflage fade. ‘Did you see that figure?’

  ‘Yes.’ Erin’s thoughts raced, full of relief at having found Tor, but full of alarm and fear too. ‘I wonder who it was?’

  ‘We have to find out!’ Chloe said. ‘You’ll have to ask Tor when he speaks to you next.’ She shivered. ‘Oh, it’s so annoying we couldn’t stay for longer! What should we do now then? I guess we’d probably better not go back until tomorrow.’

  ‘No,’ said Erin in frustration. What she really wanted to do was fly straight back there and talk to Tor some more – maybe rescue him. But he had told them to go. ‘I suppose we could try using our stardust powers. It might be good to practise them in case we need to use them to rescue Tor.’

  ‘Good idea,’ Chloe said.

  ‘Why don’t you show me what to do?’ Erin suggested.

  ‘OK!’ Chloe replied eagerly. She pointed her hand at a dry twig on the floor in front of them. ‘Fire be with me!’

  The branch started to smoulder, a curl of smoke rising up from its surface. Chloe frowned in concentration and the twig burst into flames.

  ‘Fire be gone!’ she said quickly. The fire slowly died.

  ‘Wow!’ breathed Erin. She was so impressed she almost forgot about the dark spirit.

  Chloe turned to her. ‘Xanthe said that some summer spirits can’t make fire straight away, but she said I must be quite a strong spirit.’ She tucked her hair back behind her ears. ‘You have a go now. Just concentrate really hard on what you want to happen and you should feel a sort of tingling. That’s magic flowing through you. Say “Rain be with me” and see if it works.’

  ‘OK.’ Erin felt excited. She looked at the skies. I can do this. I have to – for Tor! ‘Rain be with me!’ she whispered intently.

  A tingling feeling spread through her body, building up and up until it exploded out of her fingers. She gasped as a small raincloud formed above them. Raindrops immediately started falling.

  Chloe squealed and dashed out from underneath it.

  ‘Rain be gone! Rain be gone!’ Erin gasped. Nothing happened and the rain soaked her. ‘Rain be gone!’ she cried again. This time the raincloud slowly faded.

  Erin looked down at her dress. She was dripping wet.

  Chloe giggled. ‘I think you need to practise a bit!’

  Erin tried again, but this time the cloud that appeared pelted them both with hailstones!

  ‘I’m not very good at this,’ she said, feeling embarrassed as she made the hail cloud finally vanish.

  ‘Don’t be silly,’ Chloe said. ‘It’s only your first night of trying. You wouldn’t expect to be good first time. You’ll get better.’

  Erin felt grateful. Usually, if she couldn’t do something at school or the stables, Fran and Katie laughed at her and made her feel stupid. Chloe was so much nicer.

  They practised some more. Chloe seemed to get better, starting fires and putting them out more quickly, but Erin didn’t feel she was improving at all. She kept drenching herself and her hail clouds became snow clouds and her snow clouds became drizzling rain.

  ‘You’ll get the hang of it soon,’ Chloe kept saying.

  They played a game of tag and then finally decided to go home. ‘I’ll see you tomorrow,’ Erin said.

  ‘Yeah, at the stables at ten,’ said Chloe happily. ‘Bye!’ She waved, and they both darted away.

  Erin got to the stables early. She checked the board and saw that she was going to be riding Tango that day. Unfortunately, he was Fran’s favourite pony and Erin could tell that Fran wasn’t pleased she wasn’t going to be riding him. When Erin went into the tack room to fetch Tango’s head collar and a grooming kit, Fran gave her a very dirty look. She was sitting on the wooden chest where all the grooming kits were kept.

  ‘I need to get a grooming kit. Can you move, please, Fran?’ Erin asked politely.

  Her heart sank as Fran shook her head. ‘Nope,’ she said, inspecting her nails. ‘I don’t feel like it.’

  Erin hesitated, shrinking inside. What could she do? She needed a grooming kit, but she couldn’t exactly push Fran off the chest, could she?

  To her relief, two of the other helpers, Anna and Jodie, came in, also looking for grooming kits. Fran shifted immediately and as the other girls got their grooming kits out Erin quickly did the same. As she straightened up, Fran smirked at her as if saying You know I wouldn’t have moved just for you. Erin tried to ignore her.

  She left the tack room and saw Chloe coming out of the office with Jackie.

  ‘Hi!’ Erin went over, feeling very pleased to see her.

  ‘Chloe’s new. She’s riding Solomon today. Will you show her around, please, Erin?’ Jackie asked.

  ‘Of course I will,’ Erin said.

  Jackie went back into the office. Just then Fran and Katie came out of the tack room. Fran stopped when she saw Chloe with Erin.

  ‘Who are you?’ she demanded curiously.

  ‘Chloe,’ Chloe replied easily. ‘What’s your name?’

  ‘Fran. And this is Katie.’ Fran looked Chloe up and down. She obviously approved of her because she smiled. ‘Has Jackie told you who you’ll be riding then?’

  ‘Yes. Solomon.’

  ‘Cool. Well, come with Katie and me and we’ll show you which pony he is.’

  Chloe glanced at Erin. ‘Erin’s supposed to be showing me.’

  ‘We don’t need four of us to catch him, Erin,’ Fran said pointedly. ‘You can stay here.’ She tossed her head. ‘Come on, Chloe.’

  Chloe stopped. ‘Actually, you’re right. We don’t need four of us, and since I’m friends with Erin already she can show me which pony he is, can’t you, Erin?’

  Erin felt a rush of relief. She nodded.

  ‘Thanks for the offer though,’ Chloe said to Fran.

  Fran looked very put out. ‘Fine! Be like that then!’ she snapped. ‘Come on, Katie.’ They marched off together.

  Chloe grinned. ‘Whoops, I think I might have offended her!’ She didn’t look at all bothered. Erin envied her. ‘So, are they the so-called friends you’ve told me about?’

  ‘Yes,’ Erin replied.

  ‘Well, you know what? Now I’ve met them I think you’re better off without them,’ said Chloe. ‘Now, come on, I want to see all the ponies!’

  By the end of the day it was hard to believe Chloe had only just started at the stables. She’d helped with all the jobs no one liked much, like sweeping around the muckheap, and she’d started a water fight when they’d been cleaning tack. She was a good rider too and had got Solomon going really well in the lesson.

  ‘I’ve had a brilliant day!’ she said happily as she and Erin sat on the fence and waited for Chloe’s mum to collect t
hem. ‘It’s such a cool yard! The ponies are gorgeous, Jackie’s a really good teacher and everyone seems really nice. Well, apart from Fran and Katie. I don’t know why you were ever friends with them.’

  ‘They didn’t use to be as mean,’ Erin said, feeling she should defend them a bit. ‘They’ve just changed this year.’

  Chloe grinned. ‘Well, I’m glad they have because it means we can be friends.’

  Just then a shiny silver Land Rover pulled into the car park.

  ‘It’s Marianne!’ Erin said in surprise as the blonde woman stepped out of the car.

  ‘I wonder what she’s doing here…’ said Chloe.

  ‘I don’t know. I’ve never seen her here before,’ said Erin. Marianne walked across the car park and saw the two girls sitting on the fence. A look of recognition crossed her face. ‘Hey, didn’t I meet you yesterday? You came and told me that Gemini’s rug was coming off?’

  ‘Yep, that was us,’ answered Chloe.

  ‘Well, thanks for that.’ Marianne smiled. ‘Most people would have just walked on by. It was really nice of you. Now, do you know where I can find Jackie? I want to talk to her about having some dressage lessons.’

  ‘She’s in the office,’ Erin said, suddenly feeling silly. After finding Tor so close to Marianne’s house, she had felt a little wary of her arrival at the stables, but hearing Marianne speaking about Jackie and her horses, Erin was sure she couldn’t possibly be behind Tor’s capture. ‘Shall I show you where the office is?’ she offered.

  ‘That’s OK. I’ve been here a few times before. But thanks for the offer, Erin.’

  Marianne walked away.

  ‘OK. She is so not the dark spirit,’ Chloe whispered.

  Erin nodded. ‘I know. It has to be someone else. But who?’

  Chloe shrugged. ‘I don’t know many people who live around here.’

  ‘There’s the horrible farmer who always shouts at me if I stroke his horse,’ Erin said, wracking her brain. ‘Maybe it’s him. He lives quite close to Lookout Point. I bet he could get to the woods where Tor is being kept really easily.’

  Chloe’s eyes widened. ‘Maybe it is him then! I know! Let’s go back to Lookout Point tonight. If the dark spirit comes, we can spy on them to see who they are and where they keep the keys for the barn.’

  A shiver ran through Erin as she thought about the hooded figure they had seen the night before. It was a good idea, but she didn’t like the idea of spying on a dark spirit at all!

  Erin tried to use the hagstone to talk to Tor after she had got home from the stables, but there was no answer from him. As soon as she could, she raced through the dark to meet Chloe.

  ‘I emailed Allegra and Xanthe, and told them about last night and the shadowy figure and asked what we should do but I haven’t heard from them yet,’ said Chloe. ‘So I guess we should just follow our plan and try to spy on the dark spirit.’

  Erin gulped. ‘OK.’

  They camouflaged themselves and flew to the woods. As they swooped down through the trees, Erin felt Chloe grab her hand and only just stopped herself from gasping out loud.

  A magnificent snow-white stallion was standing in the clearing. And facing him was the hooded figure!

  C H A P T E R

  Eight

  The dark spirit and the stallion stared at each other tensely. Tor was about seventeen hands high with an arched neck and dark eyes ringed by grey shadows. Erin had never seen a more majestic-looking or beautiful horse in her life. Underneath his long mane there was a coal-black rope round his neck.

  The dark spirit was standing near the hagstone circle. ‘You will do as I command, sky stallion!’ her voice rang out.

  In response Tor reared up, his front hooves striking out. ‘Never!’

  ‘You will!’ the dark spirit exclaimed. Erin frowned. The voice sounded familiar. Who was it? But the next second the thought flew out of her head as the dark spirit pointed her hand towards Tor, clenched her fingers into a fist and twisted her wrist sharply.

  Tor gave a loud squeal of pain and rage.

  Raw wounds appeared on his neck under the rope. It seemed to be burning into his skin. ‘I will be in command of the skies!’ the hooded figure hissed. ‘Come into the circle, King of the Clouds.’ She twisted her hand again. Erin felt Chloe move beside her and grabbed her. They couldn’t do anything. Every bit of her wanted to help, but they had so little power. They would only end up being caught or worse, and that wouldn’t help Tor at all.

  Chloe stopped, her fingers gripping Erin’s.

  Tor reared up again and then plunged at the spirit. She jumped back into the circle with a cry. For a moment, Tor’s eyes burned with defiance. ‘I am a sky stallion! I will not be commanded!’

  And, with that, he turned and walked back into the hut.

  The dark spirit watched him go. Then she muttered something under her breath, strode to the door and slammed it shut. She thrust the bolt across and locked it. She was trembling with rage. As she swung round, her hood fell back.

  Erin caught her breath, her insides turning to ice.

  It was Marianne!

  Her long blonde hair fell around her shoulders. She was wearing a pale-blue dress under the cloak. Just like mine, Erin thought.

  Yanking the keys on a big red key ring out of the lock, Marianne strode away through the trees.

  When she was out of sight, Erin let her camouflage fade. Chloe appeared too, her face shocked. ‘I can’t believe it’s Marianne after all!’

  Erin could hardly believe it either. She felt sick as she thought of how Tor had been hurt. ‘Did you see what she was doing to Tor? Oh, Chloe, we have to help set him free as soon as possible.’

  ‘Why didn’t he just gallop away?’ wondered Chloe. ‘Why did he walk back into the hut? Why didn’t he escape?’

  Erin didn’t know. She looked at the hut below them. ‘Come on. Let’s go and talk to him.’

  They flew down.

  ‘Tor,’ Erin whispered through the door.

  ‘Erin,’ the stallion said immediately. ‘I sensed you were watching. It was lucky the dark one did not sense you too.’

  ‘She was so cruel to you,’ said Erin in dismay. ‘Oh, Tor.’

  ‘What was she trying to get you to do?’ Chloe demanded.

  ‘Enter the circle of hagstones so she could use me to control the weather in the sky,’ Tor replied.

  ‘But why did you go back into the hut?’ asked Erin. ‘Why didn’t you just escape?’

  ‘I cannot.’ The stallion’s voice was heavy. ‘The rope round my neck is a binding rope made with dark magic. She came to my cloud kingdom through a gateway that links my world and this. She hid there and then caught me with the rope. While it is round my neck, I cannot escape from her. She can always call me back and I will never return to Snowdance and Mistral, my lead mare and son. Sky horses of royal blood can be used by weather weavers on Earth to control the weather. But I will not obey her.’ Tor’s voice was grim. ‘I will not be part of her wicked scheme to control the skies. For as long as I am earthbound, I will fight her.’

  ‘How can we help?’ asked Erin.

  ‘I need you to use your magic to destroy the binding rope, Erin. But first you must find the hagstone that Marianne used to create it. It will have three hairs from her head twisted round it, through the hole in the centre. Find it and bring it to me with a rope made of bindweed, long enough to make a circle for you to sit in it with me, then I will tell you the spell. It is difficult, dangerous magic that only a weather weaver can perform.’

  Erin swallowed. Difficult and dangerous magic – how could she possibly do that? ‘I’m… I’m not very good at doing magic. I can’t even make it rain very well and I don’t know how to do any weather-weaving magic at all,’ she stammered.

  ‘You know more than you think, child,’ said Tor gently. ‘Your powers are very special. It will not be easy, but I will help you and I believe you will be able to do it. Go now. It is not safe to stay. A storm i
s approaching. I can feel it and the dark one may return at any moment.’

  ‘Is that why you sometimes can’t speak to me,’ Erin realized, ‘because she is here?’

  ‘Yes,’ said Tor. ‘But I will talk to you when I can. Now go!’

  Erin and Chloe flew away. The wind was getting up, and overhead there was an ominous rumble of thunder.

  ‘Tor was right. There is a storm coming!’ said Chloe.

  ‘We have to get him back to the skies,’ said Erin.

  ‘That’s going to mean getting into Marianne’s house to try to find the hagstone he was talking about and the keys,’ said Chloe.

  They exchanged looks. Erin could tell that Chloe didn’t like the idea any more than she did.

  Just then there was another rumble of thunder and a large raindrop fell from the sky. ‘We’d better go home,’ Chloe commented. ‘It’s not going to be safe to fly if there’s a storm.’

  ‘OK, I’ll see you tomorrow at the stables!’ Erin said. There was a louder crash of thunder and with a last wave they both dashed away.

  C H A P T E R

  Nine

  The storm raged with thunderclaps so loud that they seemed to shake the clouds. It was very scary flying through the rain as lightning forked down to the ground. By the time Erin got home her heart was thudding in her chest and she was soaked through. Landing in her room, she quickly whispered, ‘Stardust be gone.’

  A heavy sinking sensation ran over her from her head to her toes. She blinked. Her sodden dress had turned back into her pyjamas, which were thankfully dry.

  She dried her hair with a towel and got into bed. Outside, there was a loud crash of thunder and a flash of lightning again, but, exhausted from all the things that had happened that night, Erin immediately fell fast asleep.

  ‘It’s horrible out there!’ Jo said, looking out of the window the next morning as Erin got herself some toast and jam for breakfast. The storm had passed, but the skies were still heavy with grey clouds and a continuous light drizzle was falling. ‘Do you still want to go to the stables? I don’t imagine you’ll be allowed to ride today if it carries on like this.’